Kokichi bit his scabbed lips—he really had messed up. He had succumbed to an emotional attachment that had no place in battle, and that was careless. The common affairs of everyday life were like a curse that had limited his power. Nonetheless, the curse user pointing out his error caused him to seethe with anger.
“I’m surprised they sent a cursed corpse, but I guess it makes sense,” the curse user said. “You’re remote control, like my cursed technique. You misunderstood my cursed technique, though. The only thing I can use are small insect-like shikigami. Within my field of vision, if I have the shikigami possess an object like a car, I can control almost all of that car’s functions and do whatever I want with its mounted cameras and navigation systems.”
“You planned on divulging your cursed technique. That’s why you left the car navigation systems operational,” Mechamaru guessed.
“Impressive,” the curse user replied. “It’s gratifying to have someone with a bit of theory to appreciate my methods.”
Kokichi ground his teeth. The curse user had gotten the better of him; it was only natural that he would boast about it.
The problem was that the curse user had chosen this particular moment to reveal his cursed technique. He had even provided a clue to his location with the words “within my field of vision.” That suggested the curse user meant to finish off Mechamaru right here and now instead of running away—although Kokichi supposed he might also render Mechamaru immobile and then flee at his leisure. At any rate, he was certain that Mechamaru was his only opponent.
Kokichi thought it through. The curse user was probably located somewhere that afforded an overhead view of the entire junkyard. Kokichi should be able to determine where that was.
Mechamaru raised his gaze past the top floor of the abandoned factory to the roof. He spotted a figure wearing a gas mask and an air tank. The man, who looked more like a mad scientist than a curse user, was looking down at him.
“Ah, our eyes meet,” the man said. “You’ve got me in your sights.”
“Yet you don’t sound worried,” Mechamaru replied.
“Because I’m not. You’ve located me, but you don’t show any intention of attacking. No more long-distance moves, perhaps?”
“Aren’t you perceptive?”
“Yes … perception is what drivers need most. Look right, look left, look right again. And be sure to look over your shoulder. One must obey the rules of the road, sorcerer.”
“Well, my real body is immobile. I can only use remote-control bodies, so I don’t get out much.”
Mechamaru had no way of attacking during this conversation. He had lost Ultra Cannon when he lost his left arm, and without it, even with a visual lock on the enemy, he couldn’t execute a long-range attack. As the enemy prepared for the crushing blow, Mechamaru felt helpless.
No, I can do something, he thought.
He could go all-or-nothing with Mode: Albatross. That was the artillery in his mouth for Ultimate Cannon. However, Ultimate Cannon ordinarily required the support of both arms, and his body was damaged. The most he would be able to manage before overheating was one shot.
Nonetheless, his chances of taking out the curse user weren’t low. Judging by the air tank the curse user wore, he was a shikigami user and typical of the type—meaning he himself wasn’t much good in a fight.
Thus, the chances of Mechamaru striking his target were high. If he could manage a long-range attack, he could probably finish the fight, but it would result in this body’s destruction. But there was no reason to hold back when using disposable equipment.
Kokichi knew that was his smartest option. Despite that, however, Mechamaru swung his right arm and extended the blade called Sword Option. Deploying a close-range weapon in this situation was like an admission of the futility of his situation.
“What can you do with a blade from over there?” the curse user asked.
“I can strike you down,” Mechamaru replied.
“Impossible. Are you so foolish that you don’t know why I’ve pushed you to exactly that spot?”
“No, I do know. But I want to make this hard for you.”
Mechamaru glanced around the area. The small shikigami, which looked like mosquitoes, disappeared into the mountain of scrap cars.
“Once I’ve killed you, you’ll be just another piece of scrap,” the curse user declared.
Mechamaru lunged with Sword Option. At the same moment, flames erupted throughout the mountain of automobiles. The curse user must have used shikigami to blow up a large amount of explosive material somewhere inside it. Scrap rained down, blocking escape in any lateral direction, but that didn’t prevent movement in every direction, for Mechamaru’s blade was homing in on a specific object.
The curse user shouted when he realized Mechamaru’s target.
When the tanker had fallen, one of its enormous tires had come off. The blast from such a large tire when it ruptures can be greater than that of a grenade. Kokichi Muta himself was missing part of his right arm and both his legs. That he had tried to protect Mechamaru’s right arm, which wasn’t really his, had been foolish, but there was something he could do with that arm now, precisely because it was mechanical—and equipped with a blade.
Mechamaru swung at the tire. The force of it bursting, aided by the blasts from other explosions, carried Mechamaru high into the air.
“Boost on! Maximum output!” he shouted.
The booster from his right elbow activated, giving him even more altitude. His right arm, however, began to fail due to damage from the tire exploding and stress on the boosters that had been propelling him.